If you're reasonably handy, there's no need to spend a fortune on furniture. You can find all types of furniture plans online and we've even rounded up 10 fairly simple projects you could try to build for yourself. Of course, while you don't need to be a professional woodworker or metal smith to complete any of these projects, they do all require at least some basic knowledge of building. If you're terrified of power tools, you might want to stick with the Ikea-level of DIY or at least wait until we do an article on repurposing existing furniture items.

Banquette Seating

A lot of homes have a specific nook set aside for the dining room table. While this can be a great way to maximize space, it can also be difficult to get in and out of those seats against the wall. By building your own banquette bench though, you can take advantage of the wall rather than battling it with your chair. McArthur Homes writer Kristi Alley has some simple plans to build your own, including how to add storage doors to take advantage of your new under-seat space.

Ouija Coffee Table

Instructables user purpletheory could have just shown how to build a coffee table or how to add a cool Ouija design to an existing table, but instead he created a tutorial on both. The great thing is that you can follow the instructions partway to just create a coffee table or to just add an ink transfer pattern to furniture. Or, you can follow his instructions to the letter to make your own copycat coffee table. You can even create your own design for the tabletop or download his pattern for this Ouija design.

Rubiks Cube Chest

Here's a cool furniture design that visitors of all ages will immediately fall in love with. This Rubiks Cube chest of drawers by Instructables user makendo may not be solvable in the traditional sense being as how it can only be rotated horizontally, but it does incorporate a few puzzles of its own as there is no immediate way to tell the creation holds drawers and each drawer has a hidden lock in a different location.

Best of all, the color blocks on the chest are held on with rare earth magnets so the cube can be arranged in any configuration.

Piano Coffee Table

Broken pianos may look wonderful, but they aren't doing anyone any good sitting there and taking up space. If you can get your hands on one, this coffee table design by Instructables user Maybe Dave can bring new life to the piano by making it look as beautiful as it once sounded.

Gaming Coffee Table

For those that prefer gaming to music, a similar table design can be used to create a coffee table to hold all your gaming peripherals within easy reach but out of sight. This Instructable by Craineum modifies a premade table, but you could easily use the plans from the piano coffee table to create a similar design.

Criss-Cross Bookcase

While Ana White user C.Lang doesn't have any specific instructions to make one of these yourself, he does explain that you can easily make your own by using any cubby bookshelf design (for example, this one) and turning the shelves to a 45 degree angle.

Natural Rock Coffee Table

It's possible someone planning this project might happen to have a thin slab of stone that would be just perfect, but you can easily buy one from Home Depot or a local stone supplier. Once you have the main focus of your coffee table, you just need to build a metal support system, seal the rock and then place the rock on top of the supports. Instructables user Sam DeRose points out that the weight should be heavy enough that you won't need to glue the two together.

Trundle Bed

If your (or your child's) bed has enough space underneath, a trundle bed is a clever way to add some extra sleeping space for guests. This great trundle plan featured on Ana White can also be used for under-the-bed storage if you don't need another bed as much as you need somewhere to put all of your stuff. If you do plan to make a bed that rolls under your existing bed though, keep in mind that your existing bed has to be high enough off the ground for a mattress and the wooden support pieces.

Farmhouse Table

This beautiful could easily cost $500 or more if you bought it from a commercial furniture company, but with these simple plans from Ana White, you could easily make it yourself for a fraction of the cost and you can even have your say in the type of wood and finish used.

Full Metal Coffee Table

For something a little more industrial, you can always rely on metal and with a sturdy enough stand and simple frame, a random piece of scrap metal can easily be turned into a cool, industrial-style coffee table. If you have some metalworking experience, you can probably follow this cool Instructable by Falkenberg.